Rove to raise money for Tillis in NC this week

Karl Rove wants to help U.S. Senate candidate Thom Tillis raise money in North Carolina.

The Republican strategist who worked closely with President George W. Bush was slated to attend three fundraisers in the state this week for the state House speaker, starting Tuesday night at a Cary hotel. Then he'll go to a Fayetteville home Wednesday and to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Thursday. Tickets are $1,000 or $2,600, the federal election maximum.

Tillis is among at least five announced candidates for next May's GOP nomination and the right to take on Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan next fall. Tillis was the leading fundraiser in the Republican bunch through September.

Rove helped form the American Crossroads political committee that routinely seeks to influence federal elections.